Author
MVP Southgate natural gas project could revive previous eminent domain claims on private land
Last October, the 155 or so landowners living in the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project were able to relax for the first time in more than four years. MVP, LLC, the primary owner of the Southgate and main gas pipeline project, dropped its eminent domain cases in federal court, the viability of […]
Sampson County residents tell DEQ to deny landfill gas permit because it lacks key details
A pack of people carrying signs congregated near the entrance to Clinton City Hall, bewildered by an admonition they had never seen at a state public hearing before. “No signs or posters” “No protesting or demonstrating” “No talking or shouting over recognized speakers” “Thank you for your cooperation.” The NC Department of Environmental Quality was […]
Coal ash sinkhole expands in Mooresville, contaminating stream while legal dispute delays cleanup
For the past three years, a sinkhole in a Mooresville parking lot has released coal ash into a tributary of Lake Norman, in part because of a legal impasse about who is responsible — the property owners or Duke Energy — for repairing the damage. The cause, says a lawyer for the property owners, is […]
House, Senate override governor’s veto of Farm Act, jeopardizing 2.5 million acres of NC wetlands
This story was originally posted June 23; it was updated June 27 at 2:45 p.m., after the House overrode the governor’s veto. The House overrode Gov. Cooper’s veto of the Farm Act today, stripping 2.5 million acres of wetlands — an area one and half times larger than the state of Delaware — of environmental […]
Senate Bill 171 carves out exemption for wood pellet industry, up for a vote today
The bill would redefine the term "wood residuals" to to include "wood pellets." That's important because the wood pellet industry has falsely claimed they use only wood residuals, such as branches and tree tops, not whole trees.
Dogs, horses near Chemours have PFAS in their blood, NC State researchers find
Pet dogs and horses living near the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant have elevated levels of PFAS in their blood, according to N.C. State University researchers. The study included 31 dogs and 32 horses living in Gray’s Creek Township in Cumberland County. The community is roughly five miles north of Chemours, the main source of PFAS […]
NC DEQ says Fort Liberty’s plans for addressing nearby water contamination are inadequate
State environmental regulators criticized Fort Liberty’s plan to test off-base drinking water for toxic PFAS, saying it fails to account for all of the potential contamination, according to correspondence dated June 6. In addition, the NC Department of Environmental Quality told base officials that letters they sent to nearby landowners about well testing were misleading. […]
Tunnel below old Tarheel Army Missile Plant contains toxic contamination
A Cold War-era tunnel below the former Tarheel Army Missile Plant in east Burlington is a newly discovered source of toxic chemicals at the facility, according to a recent report by federal contractors. And based on sampling of a neighborhood stream, there could be other unrelated contamination sources near the plant that further burden the […]
Mountain Valley Pipeline asks FERC for extension to finish Southgate project in NC
Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project asks for extension
Analysis: Regulatory reform bill puts state on collision course with federal enviro law
A bill winding its way through the Senate would undermine environmental laws governing the hog and natural gas industries, as well as companies that discharge toxic chemicals into the waterways. It would also allow developers to begin investigating Brownfields sites – properties contaminated with hazardous substances – without prior approval from the NC Department of […]
“A serious environmental justice problem”: Duke U didn’t inform public about lead in Durham parks
Soil at three Durham parks – Walltown, East End and East Durham — and presumably a fourth, Lyon Park, contain levels of lead as much as six times the EPA hazard threshold for play areas, a Duke University study found. But the university and the Durham Parks and Recreation Department sat on the findings for […]
35K gallons of cattle waste spills in Lincoln County, near creek that is already impaired
At least 35,000 gallons of untreated animal waste was released from the Gar-Mac Dairy farm in Lincoln County, sending contamination into an unnamed tributary that flows to Indian Creek and the South Fork of the Catawba River, according to the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The discharge occurred on June 6 and 7 because of […]